Africa

Fisheries play a crucial role in Africa, particularly for coastal populations that rely on the sector for food security and income. According to the World Bank, fisheries and aquaculture directly contribute $24 billion to the African economy, and due to a growing population and per capita income, demand for fish is expected to increase by 30 percent by 2030. This makes effective fisheries management all the more important. But due to limitations in monitoring, control and surveillance, African nations often face challenges that divert resources away from the fishery sector, which can lead to the proliferation of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

Global Fishing Watch is working with various governments and nongovernmental organizations to harness transparency towards better fisheries management.

Through analyses and fisheries intelligence reports, we are enhancing existing monitoring and surveillance efforts and allowing enforcement authorities to achieve greater maritime domain awareness. Research partnerships and capacity building programs are also facilitating discussions that help surface the most pertinent needs when it comes to improving monitoring and control in some of the world’s richest fishing grounds. We are working to strengthen our relationships in the region and assist governments that are interested in joining our transparency program to make their data publicly available and help inform better management decisions.